Frustration vs. Love

I have. It actually happens more often than I would prefer to admit. I get frustrated. I get frustrated with the online world pretending to be perfect, yet really being prideful, rude, superficial. I get frustrated with people in authority who think rules don’t apply to them. I get frustrated when someones selfishness hurts those I love. But what it really comes down to is that people aren’t my problem.

My frustration is really caused by my own lack of love for others.

That’s my issue.

It isn’t people.

It isn’t the situation.

It is me and my sinfulness.

I’ve found that people probably aren’t going to change.

I’m going to run into people on Facebook that answer a sincere question with a response that says “just Google it” or ask a question just to lash out at others who disagree with them.

I’m going to have to face people in my life that have different priorities for my children than I do.

I’m going to experience changes brought on by others.

But what I’ve found is that while other people aren’t going to change the way they operate, I can. Instead of looking at others in frustration, I can cry out to God for more of Him:

“Lord, give me more of you!”

That should be my battle cry.

Not, “Lord, fix them!!!” but “Lord, fix me!”

I need help to love others and walk in love no matter how many people hurt my feelings or came across as harsh. I need help to love others no matter what. Help to be a light that shined His love to the world.

My guess is that I’m not alone in this. You may not be as selfishly frustrated as me, but I think we can all stand a little more Jesus in us.

1 Corinthians 13 tells us that love is patient and kind. That it always protects, trusts, hopes, and perseveres. That it doesn’t envy, boast, dishonor others, become easily angered, or self-seeking. It doesn’t keep a record of wrongs, but rejoices in the truth.

When we become frustrated with the people around us, it’s our own lack of love that shines through.

We lose our patience. We get easily angered. We stop protecting, trusting, and hoping, and end up dishonoring others. We make that record of wrongs and ultimately become self-seeking.

Focusing on the bad doesn’t change it, it just makes our day worse.

And we don’t need that.

Likewise, loving more doesn’t make the hurtful and hateful things disappear, it just helps us to look at them differently.

Getting frustrated with others, focusing on the bad, is one of those areas that I thrive in. I let others bring me down. I shift my focus from God to man and it’s a life-long struggle for me.

Instead of leaning on God, I get wrapped up in the world and then it knocks me down. But God helps me get up again.

That reminds me of a song I use to listen to years ago:

“I get knocked down, but I get up again..” – the difference is that now I know thatit’s only through God’s help that I can stand. And you can too.

So today, I want to encourage you, when you start to get frustrated by people, ask God to help you love them more.